Ukraine midfielder Heorhii Sudakov answered journalists' questions at a press conference dedicated to his performance at Euro 2024.
Georgy Sudakov. Photo: UAF press service- Did you watch the Belgium-Romania match yesterday? What do we need to do to get out of the group?
- Yes, of course, we watched the match. We are all thinking about the result, but we realize that no matter how they play, everything depends on us. We are tuning in to Belgium and starting from our game.
- What or who should our national team pay attention to before the match with Belgium?
- I agree that football is a team game, and everything depends on us. Belgium has star players - De Bruyne, Lukaku, Doc, Tielemans... But, as the Slovak national team showed us, they can also lose. If we show our best game and are not afraid of anyone, we have a great chance of a positive result.
- How safe is the Ukrainian national team at the Euro? Were there any situations or provocations?
- I was very surprised from the first day because when we go to matches, we are accompanied by a helicopter. There are a lot of police, and our national team is receiving special attention. As for provocations, I haven't heard of any. We are treated and respected very well. There have been no bad situations so far.
- Serhii Rebrov and many players said after the match with Slovakia that there was a setup for the central midfielders to play closer to the opponent's goal... What were your functions in that match, and what was the key to victory? Will this experience help in the match against Belgium?
- Of course, we drew conclusions after the first match with Romania. We had to change something. My role was really to play higher, between the lines. But Slovakia played very compact and it was difficult to find the ball there. I went down several times in the first half to launch attacks from there. With Andriy Yarmolenko, it worked a couple of times.
But Slovakia started very aggressively, we did not expect this. It's good that in the second half we rebuilt, started to press more actively. We also have a lot of quality players, like Shaparenko and Brazhko. They can play lower, and there was no point in me going down. Oleksandr Zinchenko is a nominal defender, but everyone knows his qualities. He can also play between the lines, more on the attack.
When Shaparenko scored the first goal, we launched a counterattack. Today we had a theory, and we saw how many players were in the opponents' penalty area compared to the first match. This increases the likelihood of scoring.
- There are power cuts in Ukraine right now and people have a choice - charge their gadgets or watch the match. Do you know about this? And do you have less support because of this problem?
- Of course I know, because I live in Ukraine. I've encountered this many times. I even got stuck in an elevator with my child. I know these emotions and I remember that frightened look on the child's face. This is a big disaster. We can say that our performance at the Euro is an incredible achievement, because we unite people and the whole country. People gather where there is electricity and access to television and the Internet and watch our game.
Nothing can be done about it now, everyone understands why there is no electricity and the consequences of this. But I am proud of our country that we can adapt even to such conditions. I know that our soldiers in the trenches are watching us.
- The first half has become a problem for the Ukrainian national team, because we are losing them. What is the reason for this?
- It is difficult to answer this question. We have thought about it, and Serhiy Stanislavovych emphasizes the problem, but I don't understand why it happens. It's a systematic thing. When we concede, only then do we start playing.
- We will have one more day to recover than the Belgians. To what extent can this be our advantage?
- At this level, one day is unlikely to help us. Belgium has incredible players, a large rotation of the squad. Both we and they must approach this match with one hundred percent readiness.
- The situation in the group is such that a draw may not be enough for us. Do you realize that we need to play to win against the Belgians?
- Of course we do. No one in the team is talking about a draw, everyone is preparing to play for victory.
